There is a transit system generally called a new transport system in which a vehicle travels on a preliminarily set travel track. In this transit system, a guide rail-type vehicle that travels by using rubber tires while guide wheels are abutted on guiding rails arranged on both sides of a travel track is provided with guide devices for steering the vehicle. The guide devices are provided on both left and right sides in the vehicle width direction at front and rear parts of a vehicle body. Each of the guide devices includes a guide wheel 10 as shown in FIG. 7. The guide wheels 10 are rotatably provided at ends of guide arms in the front and rear parts of the vehicle body, and each of the guide wheels 10 includes a main guide wheel 11 placed on the upper side, and a turnout guide wheel 12 placed on the lower side thereof. The main guide wheel 11 and the turnout guide wheel 12 are rotated respectively independently.
Meanwhile, on both left and right sides of a travel track 20, guide rails 21 to which the guide wheels 10 are abutted are installed. Each of the guide rails 21 includes a main guide rail 22 installed along the travel track 20, and a diverging guide rail 23 installed at a diverging point of the travel track 20.
Each main guide rail 22 is brought into contact with the main guide wheel 11 from an outer side of the vehicle body and applies inward force P1 toward an inner side of the vehicle body to the vehicle body. Meanwhile, the diverging guide rail 23 is brought into contact with the turnout guide wheel 12 from the inner side of the vehicle body and applies outward force P2 toward the outer side of the vehicle body to the vehicle body. In such a way, while the guide wheels 10 and the guide rails 21 are abutted with each other, the vehicle is guided along the travel track 20 to travel.
Since the guide rail-type vehicle is steered by the guide wheels 10 as described above, the forces P1, P2 upon abutment between the guide wheels 10 and the guide rails 21 act on the vehicle body. Therefore, an excessive action of the inward force P1 and the outward force P2, that is, an action of an impact load invites shorter life of the guide device, generation of noises, a lowered quality of ride, and the like. Thus, in the guide device, a shock-absorbing device that mitigates the inward force P1 and the outward force P2 is provided (for example, Patent Documents 1 to 3).